


Home is Not a Place

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, post episode fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 06:01:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10182320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Kara had thought she could fill her time with Supergirl duties once she left CatCo. But no matter how hard she worked or how busy she was, something was always missing. Something had been missing for longer than she realized. And with a remembered promise, Kara knows exactly what that is.





	

Kara makes it a week before the lack of anything to do outside of working at the DEO drives her mad.

She’d thought that she could still manage a balance between working with the agency and having a life even without CatCo. She’d thought that the free time would be welcome after the struggle to balance two entire lives in time meant for one, but after two years of learning to juggle everything she just got...bored.

Not even being Supergirl full time managed to fill the void. Even if she was working the same amount of time she had with two jobs, being Supergirl exclusively was far more draining. Not physically, but emotionally. She always had to be aware that she was wearing a costume, that she was putting on an act. She had to live up to her crest in every interaction, she could never let her guard down long enough to just be Kara. 

If Alex hadn’t been dating again, then maybe she could have filled the time with sister nights and made up the difference. Alex has always been the one person that Kara doesn’t need to pretend around, doesn’t have to hide anything about who she is. There’s no one else in her life that she’s felt as comfortable with. Supergirl and Kara Danvers both have people they can be close to, but no one who sees both sides of her the way Alex does.

But Alex is dating Maggie, and Kara can’t even think about disrupting that. Alex is finally happy with someone, and Kara will do anything and everything she can to make sure that she  _ stays  _ that way. And if that means fewer sister nights to make room for date nights, then that’s fine with Kara. Besides, she has her own partner she should be focusing on, right?

Except somewhere around day four she snaps, and suddenly she’s single again and Mon-El is sulking around the DEO, usually getting in the way rather than contributing anything helpful. After the first hour, J’onn bans him from the control room entirely, but it doesn’t help. The whole situation has pushed Kara into a bad mood, and nothing seems to help. She keeps pushing to try and outrun the emotions and struggles, but all it accomplishes is making her feel more out of sorts.

Finally, J’onn notices enough to pull her to the side. “Kara, I know the DEO can use Supergirl full time, but it doesn’t seem as if that’s what’s best for you. If you need to find another job, don’t let us hold you back. I don’t want to see you burn out trying to do too much here.”

The concern in his voice, so readily apparent now that he no longer tries to hide the warmth he feels towards both Danvers sisters, is all Kara needs to realize that he’s right. She’s been trying too hard, losing touch of the very things that make being a hero so important to her. A never ending cycle of things to punch and kittens to rescue isn’t enough, not if it means she doesn’t have the time to slow down and appreciate  _ why  _ those things are important.

“I think you’re right,” she admits, letting out a long sigh as she looks around the control room. “Though I don’t think I’ll be able to get another journalism job any time soon.”

“You’ll find something,” J’onn says reassuringly. “The DEO can provide excellent references.”

“Won’t they all be fake?” Kara asks, tilting her head as she tries to think of how that will work.

“You’re living with a false birth certificate and social security number,” J’onn points out wryly, looking faintly amused. “I doubt falsified references is where you want to draw the line.”

Kara flushes slightly and nods, crossing her arms as she acknowledges the truth in what he says. And having what will no doubt be impeccable references will be a lot of help. Now she just has to figure out what she wants to do that isn’t journalism.

And that’s where she hits a wall.

She’d put everything into being a journalist, desperate to make a difference as Kara Danvers and not just as Supergirl. It had seemed like the perfect job for her, one that would let her change the world without the cape for once.

Nothing else seems to come close.

It’s as she lies in bed that night that the answer comes to her. She’s been so focused on where to go moving forward that she’d forgotten everything that had happened before this point. Not just being a reporter, but everything she’d accomplished to get to that point. The reason she’d started at CatCo in the first place.

True, being an assistant hadn’t been the change in the world she’d wanted to make. Fetching lattes and lettuce wraps didn’t save anyone other than the various interns who would have lost their jobs if Cat was in a bad mood. The overall impact of her work had been fairly small. But she’d started at CatCo to make a difference, and maybe it’s time she remembers that.

Cat had told her she would always have a job if she wanted it, and now that Kara remembers that she’s surprised at just how much she does want it. When she’d first remembered Cat’s words she’d thought it was a desperation move. That she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to find anything else and would take the easy, sure position promised her.

But the more Kara thinks about it, the more she knows that isn’t true. The more she thinks about it, the more she knows that Cat was always the biggest part of what made CatCo so important to her. Cat had always pushed her as Kara Danvers, had always been the one to insist that the seemingly average girl could do great things if she’d just put her mind to it. Even without knowing Kara was Supergirl, she’d always been the one to challenge both personas.

True, she didn’t know them both the way Alex does. Cat doesn’t know her secrets, doesn’t know her well enough to know exactly what she’s thinking at a glance. But she had known how to comfort, and how to inspire. She’d always been able to tell what Kara needed, and been able to give it to her. And right now, Kara needs that as much as she needs a job.

But it won’t do any good to seek Cat out tonight, even if Kara knows she’s back in National City for the week. Even though Cat is almost certain to be up, it’s not exactly polite to go knocking on doors this late. And landing on her balcony isn’t any better. Even if Kara is certain Cat knows, the careful balance of pretense has been a cornerstone of the relationship between them. Showing up as Supergirl to beg for a job for Kara Danvers would not be the way to tell Cat the truth.

She will tell her though, Kara decides somewhere around 2 am. Not even as a trade for a position, she trusts Cat’s word enough to believe that won’t be a problem. But because Cat deserves it. She’s been there through so much, she deserves to hear Kara admit what she already knows.

Alex won’t like it, Kara knows that. J’onn will like it even less. But this is Kara’s identity to risk, Kara’s secret to tell. She won’t mention the DEO, won’t sell them out no matter what the consequences. Their secrets will be safe. But Kara doesn’t want to be safe, not anymore.

As soon as it hits 7 Kara sends an email requesting a meeting with Cat. She knows the woman’s habits well enough after years of learning to work with them, and sending it then ensures it will be at the top of the unread email list when Cat opens her laptop after her third cup of coffee. No sense waking her, and no sense risking a brush off because she caught Cat uncaffeinated.

The answer is thankfully prompt, and with a location and time for the meeting. It’s a restaurant Kara knows well, one of the less ‘classy’ ones that Cat enjoys for personal conversations rather than business meals. Kara chooses to take that as a good sign, despite the fact it strongly implies Cat knows she’s no longer employed with CatCo. Any meeting with an employee takes place at one of three restaurants no matter what the subject matter, and this is not one of those three.

But it’s still an agreement to meet, and not at some distant date either. No, it’s for lunch today, and Kara breathes a sigh of relief that one way or another, she’ll have an answer before night falls.

***

Kara arrives exactly on time, and of course finds Cat already seated in at the corner table, the slight alcove giving her privacy from the rest of the diners. She looks far more casual than Kara is used to seeing, and relaxed in a way she never was at CatCo. Apparently diving has been good for her.

“I can’t get you your job back,” Cat says when Kara sits and their drink orders are placed, skipping any pleasantries with a sharp look. “And even if I could, I wouldn’t. Snapper was right to let you go. You know how I feel about sharing.”

“I wasn’t going to ask for that,” Kara protests as she shifts nervously. She’d expected the criticism, her time away from CatCo has given her the space to see things from their point of view. She still thinks running the story was the right thing to do, but she should have pushed J’onn for some kind of statement and done it the right way. “I know Snapper did the right thing.”

“Well, that makes at least half of my planned lectures irrelevant,” Cat says as she studies Kara carefully. “You know I won’t be giving a recommendation for another outlet either, yes?”

“I don’t think I’d want to write for anyone but CatCo,” Kara confesses. “I wanted to be a journalist, I did, but maybe it’s not for me.”

“Not if you let the stories get personal,” Cat points out, her glance sharp enough to reinforce the fact that she definitely knows just why the story had been so important to Kara. “You can’t tell an unbiased story if you’re too attached, Kara. Surely in one of my many lectures I managed to get that point across? A journalist reports the facts, they don’t write the story.”

A thankful break comes as the waiter returns with drinks and takes their meal orders, and Kara sips gratefully at the light wine. It doesn’t affect her, but the displacement activity at least gives her a chance to calm her nerves.

“The way I published the article was a mistake,” she admits, setting her glass down and trying to look determined and serious. “I can’t regret getting the warning out, but I see now that I didn’t go about things properly.”

Cat nods slowly as she lets the words register, and Kara can tell she’d impressed her. “And there go the rest of my lectures. Or at least the ones safe for public discussion.” From the way she says it Kara knows that as soon as the truth is out she’ll be getting a lecture on journalistic integrity and the problem with using herself as a source, but for now she’s off the hook. Kara trusts that Cat will keep her secret, but even if she wouldn’t she wouldn’t risk airing it in public and having someone overhear. All that would do would create the possibility that another news site would break the story, and as she’d already said once today, Cat doesn’t share.

“I actually was hoping you remembered something else you told me once,” Kara says as she stares down at her empty plate, for once hoping the food doesn’t show up just yet. If she’s interrupted before she can get this out, she doesn’t know if she’ll be able to find the courage again. “About having a job with you.”

The silence from across the table isn’t encouraging, but Kara can’t bring herself to look up and see Cat’s reaction. Kara has no reason to think that things have changed so much between them that the earlier promise is now null and void, but she does have to admit that she isn’t exactly coming to Cat in the best standing either.

“I said it, and I stand by it,” Cat says, voice level. The absence of any emotion has Kara finally looking up from her plate, and what she sees isn’t much better than the silence had been. Cat is still, looking at her with a carefully blank expression, and Kara isn’t sure what it means. “But Kara, that offer was never meant for a situation like this. I made it to ensure you would never be trapped in a situation you’d rather escape from, not as a last ditch option when things go wrong. You might not be able to work for CatCo, or as a journalist at all, but that doesn’t mean there’s not something else out there for you.”

“I, that’s not why I asked,” Kara says in disbelief, sitting back in her chair and staring across the table at Cat. “I’ve been keeping busy, but there was something missing, something that I now realize I was missing even at CatCo when you’d left. I was missing someone who pushes me the way you do, Cat. I could find another job, but I couldn’t find anything else that did that.”

She’s managed to surprise the other woman, Kara can tell. It’s in the way the careful blankness of Cat’s face loses its tension. Whatever Cat had been expecting her to say, that obviously wasn’t it. Thankfully the silence is broken by the arrival of their food, a welcome distraction from the potential weight of the conversation.

The rest of the meal passes quickly, serious conversation shelved by unspoken agreement in favor of catching up on what Cat has been up to since leaving CatCo. Kara had known bits of it, but the details hadn’t been made very public. Cat was waiting on funding and a bit more security before releasing anything but a general idea of her plans. After all, the way most citizens felt about aliens in their midst was still changing sometimes daily, and a foundation dedicated to helping them settle into human society was likely to face a lot of opposition before becoming a reality.

But finally the meal is done, and Kara knows they’ll need to resume the serious conversation from before.

“Not here,” Cat says when she sees Kara open her mouth to speak, settling the bill and standing before gesturing for Kara to follow her. “We’ll continue this in private, there are far too many people around to have the conversations we need.”

The way she takes charge is utterly familiar and comforting to Kara, and without complaint she falls into step behind Cat, feeling as if the universe has finally shifted into some semblance of order for once in the past few months. Being at Cat’s side is where she’s supposed to be.

Cat doesn’t let them speak in the car either, shooting a pointed glance at her driver as they settle in. And given that Kara knows Jonas is the most trustworthy of Cat’s drivers, that means the upcoming conversation is definitely about her caped persona. There’s nothing else that Cat would feel the need to keep from him.

By the time they reach Cat’s penthouse, Kara is almost impatient to get the reveal over with. At this point, with Cat’s acknowledgement of her promise in place, Kara just wants this out of the way. Cat knows, it won’t change anything, and once it’s in the open they can move on and Kara can retake her place at Cat’s side and get her life back on track.

“Well, Kara. Now that we’re alone, we have a few things to discuss,” Cat says as she leads the way to her home office, a room Kara is well familiar with. She’s been over for emergency damage control more than once over the years.

A quick scan of the apartment when Cat’s back is turned proves that they’re alone, and Kara relaxes, knowing that whatever she shares with Cat will go no further. “I suppose we do, Miss Grant,” Kara says, falling back into a level of formality now that they’re officially discussing her career prospects.

“It’s still Cat. There’s no reason to go back to the distance now, Kara.” The words are sure, the look on Cat’s face even more so, and Kara doesn’t even try to argue. It’s new, but not entirely unwelcome. “Now, in the restaurant you all but told me your life was empty without me. And while I know that even in your brief time as a journalist you learned the importance of precision, I need to know how you meant it.”

Kara freezes when she hears how her words had been taken, because while she hadn’t necessarily meant them the way Cat’s words imply, she also can’t argue with that interpretation.  She’s had a crush for years at this point, probably more than a crush if she’s being honest, and her life does seem empty without Cat. She’d thought she could fill the void with other things, given that no lines had ever been crossed between them, but it hadn’t taken long after losing most of them to realize that they’d always been mere surface level distractions.

But she’s afraid of saying that, even with the careful way Cat is looking at her. There’s no judgement in her gaze, no anger or disgust. It makes Kara want to be brave, but what if she’s wrong? What if she’s wrong, and Cat sends her away?   
And at the same time, she can’t bring herself to deny anything. Smart decision or not, she’d come here to come clean to Cat, and lying seems wrong. Even if it’s something completely different, being less than completely honest today is not what she’s going for.

“I think you know how I meant it, Cat,” Kara says, voice shaking as she fights to keep eye contact rather than look away. Admitting this is harder than anything else she’s done lately, but at the same time she knows she needs to do it.

“Kara, let me be very clear about something,” Cat says, standing from where she’d sat opposite Kara and crossing to sit next to her, close enough that Kara can feel her warmth. “I can be your boss, or I can be something else to you entirely. But I can’t be both.”

Kara feels her thoughts screech to a halt at what Cat is implying now, sure she’d misheard or misunderstood. But no, Cat is looking at her with a carefully hidden heat, and Kara is powerless to fight it.

“Will you push me, either way?” Kara asks, slowly feeling herself lean towards Cat even as she does. Because that’s the whole point of this, to have someone in her life that grounds her, that pushes her to be better as Kara Danvers. That’s what’s been missing in her life for the past months, that’s what she needs most now. And if the only way to get that is to work for Cat rather than be with Cat, then as hard as it is Kara knows what decision she’ll make.

“I told you, I push those I care about,” Cat says as she leans closer as well, though much slower than Kara does. It’s clear she’s letting Kara take the lead, unwilling to push even as she’s willing to meet her halfway. “I will always want you to be the hero I know you can be.”

She knows, Kara is certain of it, but as much as she knows they need to have that conversation she can’t bring herself to pull back enough to have it now. Not when Cat is so close, not when Kara knows that if she closes the distance between them and pulls Cat in for a kiss that it will be returned. And so she does.

It’s soft only for a moment before both move to deepen it, lips sliding against each other as they press as close together as they can in their current positions. And if Kara had thought that seeing Cat was enough to ground her, well, now she knows that’s anything but true. Now that she knows what it’s like to kiss Cat, nothing else will ever be enough.

Her hands slowly grow bolder, moving from where they’ve been clenched on her lap to rise to reach out and touch, one tangling carefully in Cat’s hair as the other gently cups her face. And when she moves, so does Cat. Her touches are less reserved, less innocent, but she avoids anything that could cross a line, anything that could push what’s developing between them too far, too fast.

But they’ve been apart for months, and pushing this down for longer than that, and Kara  _ wants  _ to push. She wants to move faster, to make up for the time they’ve wasted pretending that this attraction didn’t exist.

So when Cat’s hand passes over her side still carefully avoiding anywhere that crosses the line, Kara moves her hand from Cat’s face to gently grab it, moving it to carefully cover her breast, gasping into the kiss as Cat makes contact.

“Kara, are you sure?” Cat asks, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.

“I’m sure,” Kara whispers, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to Cat’s lips, pouring what she’s feeling into the brief contact. “I want this, I want you.”

That’s enough for Cat, and this time when her hands move, they don’t hesitate or avoid. This time they seek out Kara’s breast without prompting, and both women moan into the kiss at the sensation. It’s instantly addicting, just as much as kissing Cat had been, and Kara wants more. But she’s pushed enough for the moment. She’s shown Cat she wants this, shown that she’s more than just okay with what’s happening, so it’s time to let Cat make the next move. If Cat wants more, then Kara will let her decide that.

For now, she’s at least content with the continued kisses and gentle touches, even though they’re not everything she wants. She has Cat next to her, their lips moving together, and her hands tracing patterns across her chest that are setting her on fire even above clothing. As much as she wants more, she will never complain about having this.

When Cat moves to take the next step, fingers moving to the buttons of Kara’s shirt, rational thought returns to Kara’s mind. It has to fight through overwhelming layers of desire, but before Cat can do more than pop open the first button Kara’s hands have moved to stop her. “Cat, I- there’s something you should know,” Kara says, knowing that one more button and her secret will be revealed.

“Shhh, Kara. Tell me after,” Cat whispers, letting her hands still. “This is about you, about us. I don’t want you to think it’s about anything else.” She knows, it’s all but an admission, but Kara doesn’t care. She hadn’t cared before, and the way Cat is reassuring her that this is about Kara Danvers and not Supergirl banishes any other hesitations.

“Then I might need a minute,” Kara says, glancing pointedly down at where their hands are still clasped over her chest. The hands that are inches from her super suit.

“Then I’ll just fetch a glass of water,” Cat says with a wink, standing slowly and walking to the door with what Kara would swear is extra sway in her hips. “And when you’ve  _ gathered yourself, _ you can join me.”

Her tone is light, teasing, and Kara flushes despite herself, barely managing to tear her eyes away from the way Cat moves as she tosses that last line over her shoulder long enough to meet her eyes in time to catch one last wink before Cat walks through the door and heads towards the kitchen. Suddenly Kara isn’t at all sure what she’s getting herself into, but oh does she want to find out.

It’s a matter of seconds to quick change her suit out from under her clothing, and Kara folds it neatly before taking a deep breath and following Cat into the kitchen. She doesn’t want to let too much time pass and potentially take the moment with it.

But when she rounds the corner to see Cat leaning against the kitchen island with a glass of water in hand and a smirk firmly on her face, Kara knows there’s no chance of that. She’s not even entirely sure the moment will wait long enough to get them to a bed, not with the way Cat is looking at her right now.

“All better?” Cat teases her, and Kara answers by closing the distance between them as quickly as she can without seeming too eager or using her powers, falling right back into the same passionate kiss they’d shared in the office, this time without any need to stop for potentially revealed secrets. And Cat knows it too, hands returning to Kara’s shirt and quickly popping the rest of the buttons so she can finally turn her searching caresses to the bare flesh beneath.

The feeling of slim fingers on her skin send shudders through Kara’s body as she adjust to how different this feels, how strange it is to be the focus of such careful attention. Every touch is careful, gentle, even as their kisses are fierce. And Kara needs more.

“Cat, where’s your bedroom?” Kara manages to gasp out when Cat’s lips make their way down the side of her neck, the sensation of wet kisses on her pulse somehow more potent than actually kissing her had been.

“Oh, did you think this was heading there?” Cat says as she pulls back with a wicked smirk, and Kara honest to Rao whimpers at the sudden loss.

“I at least hoped,” Kara admits. “But this is nice too, if you don’t want that.”

“Oh, I want that,” Cat says, leaning back in so that their bodies are pressed together. “I was just trying to see how much fun I could have teasing you.” The inflection in Cat’s voice is pure heat, and Kara knows she’s not just talking about now. And the thought of Cat teasing her for hours nearly short circuits her brain.

“Please,” Kara says, not caring in the slightest that she’s already begging. For all the lectures about hiding emotions, Kara knows that this is not a situation in which they apply.

As soon as the word falls from her lips Cat is moving, directing them down a hallway to what Kara assumes is her bedroom, not pausing for more than the second it takes to shut the door behind them. And as soon as it latches, as soon as they’re safely shut off from the outside world, both women are pulling at clothing, needing it gone and off as quickly as possible.

It’s not until they tumble into the bed, hands still grasping at everything they can reach, that Kara can manage to think long enough to realize that this isn’t how she wants their first time to go. She wants those gentle touches from before, not something quick and frenzied. She wants to feel Cat, wants Cat to feel her, wants to take her time and make sure that every bit of pleasure is coaxed from both of them. 

Frenzied can come later, in fact she hopes it does, but for now Kara wants something more.

So Kara slows her movements, and after a second to register the change Cat does as well. Now their kisses are as gentle as their touches, and Kara begins to carefully explore every bit of the body beneath her. She’s had long practice in knowing how to tell when Cat is pleased, and that knowledge translates flawlessly into learning how she likes to be touched.

She hears it in the way Cat moans as Kara’s hands cup her breasts, fingers carefully squeezing at her already stiff nipples. The way her breath stutters as Kara trails soft kisses along the line of her throat and collarbones, not daring to leave a mark but knowing exactly how much pressure to exert to find the line. It’s in the way Cat’s legs wrap around her hips to draw her closer, in the heat she feels against her stomach as their bodies press completely flush, nothing between them.

It’s in the way Cat looks at her, open and trusting in a way Kara has never seen directed her way. It’s in the heat of her gaze as Kara doesn’t stop her movement, as one hand slips between them as Kara raises just far enough to give herself room. It’s in the way Cat’s eyes finally slip closed as Kara explores her, gentle circles through her wetness and light, teasing touches to her clit. 

It’s in the way Cat gasps out “more” when Kara slips a single finger slowly inside, in the way her hips buck against Kara’s hand when she makes it two. The way her head falls back with a low, long moan as Kara starts a gentle rhythm, palm pressing against her clit with every stroke. Her hands grasping at the sheets and tangling in Kara’s hair as she searches for for an anchor, for something to ground her.

And when Kara tips her over the edge, it’s in the way her body trembles, back arching as she lets go, as she trusts Kara to take care of her.

Kara thinks Cat looks magnificent, spread out in her bed like this as she comes down from her high, and immediately wants to do everything she can to see this side of Cat again and again, as long as Cat will let her. It’s not even just the sex, though Kara wants that as well, it’s how soft Cat seems in this moment, how unreserved and open she is.

“You’ve got more than a few hidden talents, I see,” Cat says when she catches her breath, pulling Kara down for a slow, languid kiss.

Kara would usually take that as an opening to finally come clean, but she knows that it isn’t time just yet. Not when one of Cat’s hands is rising to trace winding patterns over her breast as the other slips lower to cup where Kara is wet and craving her touch.

“Cat, please,” Kara whispers as she grinds down into Cat’s hand, needing to feel her. Watching Cat come undone had nearly pushed her over as well, but it wasn’t quite enough, and now Kara is almost shaking with need. 

“Here, lie down,” Cat instructs as she helps flip their position, settling Kara beneath her. “Tell me what you want, Kara.”

“Anything, as long as it involves you touching me,” Kara begs, and thankfully Cat doesn’t seem interested in following through with her earlier teasing. Instead she places one last long, gentle kiss to Kara’s lips before beginning to slide down her body, placing equally gentle kisses to the skin she passes along the way.

By the time Cat’s made it to her hips, Kara is clutching the sheets and desperately hoping she doesn’t break something. Even though she knows Cat would understand, that is  _ not  _ how she wants to open that particular conversation.

That concern is swept out of her mind with the first swipe of Cat’s tongue against her, and Kara can’t even begin to hold back the moan that escapes her throat at the sensation. She’s never had anyone try this with her, never wanted to let them, but with Cat she wants anything the woman will give her. And this, so new and unexpected, is definitely not making her regret that decision.

Every flick of Cat’s tongue against her drives Kara to new heights, and by the time Cat slips a single finger into warm heat, Kara is already close. She just needs a little more…

Whether she gasps that out or Cat just understands Kara isn’t sure, but as soon as she has the thought Cat is sucking at her clit as she curls her fingers just right, and Kara is coming undone on her tongue, holding her body as still as possible to avoid hurting Cat or breaking any furniture. The added tension from not being able to move the way her body wants makes the release stronger, and it’s long moments before Kara stills.

Cat is already brushing hair back from her face when Kara manages to reopen her eyes, and the smile Kara gives her is surely far too bright. But Cat just returns it with a soft smile of her own before leaning down and into a gentle kiss.

“Well, did I push you?” she teases, and Kara can’t help the laugh that escapes her at that.

“You certainly did,” Kara says as she pulls Cat closer, reveling in the feel of skin pressed against skin. 

“We still need to talk,” Cat says as she lays her head on Kara’s shoulder, seemingly content to lay here for at least a while longer. “You’ll need a job, and then there’s that little secret you’ve been keeping from me.”

“Is it really a secret if you already know?” Kara asks rhetorically, teasing Cat a little on her own. “But as long as it won’t get me sent away, I don’t want to keep it from you any more.”

“After all of this, do you think I’d send you away?” Cat says, raising her head just enough to send Kara a glare that would have her shrinking back if she weren’t so comfortable. “Really Kara, what would make you think that?”   
“Severe childhood trauma?” Kara says sheepishly, repeating Cat’s words from so long ago back to her. She can tell it works, that Cat understands, when she tucks back into her side with only a scoff. “They sent me away to save me, Cat. Of all the things on this planet I fear, having someone I care about do that to me again is the thing I fear most.”

The admission in her words is enough for now, though Kara knows they’ll have a full conversation about everything that’s happened sooner rather than later. Right now the way she holds Cat, the way Cat holds her, both gripping tightly as if to stave off any separation by sheer force of will, that’s enough. They’ve always been able to speak without words, and this is just another example of that.

Now Kara’s home is in Cat’s arms, and this time it’s a home she knows will always be there.


End file.
